Grade 9 civil service exam 2026 vacancies and competition ratio

The 2026 Grade 9 civil service exam cycle carried 3,802 advertised vacancies nationwide, and reported applicant figures put the competition ratio at roughly 28.6 candidates for every seat, according to reporting from The Korea Economic Daily’s English edition (sedaily), a ratio the outlet reported as higher than the year before.

How many Grade 9 vacancies were open in 2026?

3,802 vacancies nationwide, spanning the general administration track and the range of technical, tax and specialist tracks that make up the full Grade 9 recruitment plan. MPM’s national civil service recruitment plan, announced at the start of the year, is the source document that sets this total, and the exact figure is finalised in that announcement rather than estimated in advance.

What was the reported competition ratio for 2026?

Roughly 28.6 applicants per seat nationwide, according to reporting from sedaily, which described the ratio as having risen compared with the previous cycle. A single nationwide ratio like this is a useful headline figure, but it averages across tracks and regions that can differ substantially from one another, so a candidate’s actual odds depend heavily on which specific track and region they apply to, not the nationwide average alone.

Why does the competition ratio vary so much by track?

Vacancy counts are set separately for each track and each region within national and local recruitment, and applicant interest is not evenly spread across them. A track with a large vacancy increase in a given year typically sees its competition ratio fall even as overall applicant demand stays similar, simply because more seats are available relative to applicants. Conversely a track with a small or reduced vacancy count in a given cycle tends to see a sharper ratio even without a change in underlying applicant interest. This is one reason the same nationwide headline ratio can describe very different real experiences depending on which track a candidate sits.

Does a lower competition ratio mean an easier pass mark?

Not automatically. Competition ratio measures how many candidates apply relative to seats, while the pass mark is set by how candidates actually perform on the written paper, subject to the fixed per-subject and overall floors described in our explainer on exam subjects and format. A track can have a relatively favourable competition ratio one year and still carry a high pass mark if applicants that year performed well overall, so competition ratio and pass mark should be read as related but distinct signals, not substitutes for one another.

How does this compare between national and local tracks?

National and local vacancy counts, and therefore their competition ratios, are calculated and reported separately, since the two tracks recruit on different exam dates for different postings; see our explainer on national versus local differences for how the two tracks otherwise differ in posting and structure. A candidate weighing which track to apply to should look at that specific track’s own vacancy count and reported ratio for the cycle in question, rather than assuming national and local figures track each other closely.

Should the competition ratio change my retake decision?

It is one input worth weighing, alongside your own subject performance and preparation timeline, when deciding whether to sit again in a future cycle; see our guide to retake strategy for how the absence of an attempt cap changes that calculation compared with capped-attempt exams elsewhere. Since vacancy counts and ratios reset every year, a disappointing ratio in one cycle does not predict the next cycle’s figures. Once your written exam date for a future cycle is confirmed, the exam countdown tool is a simple way to track the remaining time without recalculating it manually.

FAQ

How many Grade 9 vacancies were advertised for 2026? 3,802 nationwide, according to MPM’s national civil service recruitment plan for that cycle.

What was the reported 2026 competition ratio? Roughly 28.6 candidates per seat nationwide, per reporting from The Korea Economic Daily’s English edition, higher than the prior year.

Does the competition ratio differ between tracks? Yes, significantly. Vacancy counts and applicant interest vary by track and region, so the nationwide figure averages across very different real ratios.

Does a favourable competition ratio guarantee a lower pass mark? No. Pass marks are set by candidate performance against fixed subject floors, which can move independently of how many applicants compete for a given seat count.

Where can I find the vacancy count for a specific future cycle? In that year’s MPM national civil service recruitment plan announcement, published at the start of the recruitment year.